Electromechanical gong.



H. E. REEVE.

ELECTROMECHANICAL some.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-27. I916.-

1,245,508.- Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

ELECTROMECI-IANICAL GONG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 191 *7.

Original application filed November 8, 1913, Serial No. 799,856. Divided and this application filed September 27, 1916. Serial No. 122,323.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. REEVE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York, N. Y., have invented a new and useful Electromechanical Gong, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to what are commonly termed electro mechanical gongs. My Reissue Patent #12914 of F ebruary 2nd, 1909 and my Patent #925,439 dated June 15th, 1909 show constructions of the general character to which my present invention relates. This application is a division from #799,856 filed November 8th, 1913.

One object is to reduce the power required to rotate the hammer and to reduce the wear and tear caused by rotation of the-hammer and to increase the speed of rotation of'the hammer. In the preferred form the construction contemplates a striking hammer pivotally carried by a shaft whose axis is in clined relative to the axis of the gong so that the plane of rotation of the hammer is inclined relative to the plane of the edge of the gong. Instead of providing a cam for forcing the hammer into engagement with the edge of the gong as the hammer rotates, I permit the hammer to rotate in a plane at right angles to the axis of the driving shaft during its entire power stroke and I provide. a notch to permit the hammer to es cape the inner edge of the gong immediately after the gong is struck. I also provide a spring for assisting in moving the hammer clear of the edge of the gong after the striking blow is completed.

The details of construction by which the foregoing objects are carried out will be understood from inspection of the accompanying sheet of drawing and the following specification.

Figure 1, is a front view showing part of the striking mechanism. The hammer is in full lines in the position just before striking the gong and in dotted lines in the position just after striking the gong.

Fig. 2, is a fragmentary side view of the parts in the full line position of Fig. 1, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view from the lower end of the parts shown in Fig. 1'.

Fig. ,4, is a broken. detail View oftherear 2. The gong or bell 3 serves as a guiding member or trackway for the hammer arm. The end of this hub 8 is on a plane atright angles to the axis X, X of the shaft 6. The hammer pivot and the end of the hub are practically in the same plane. ugal force causes it to extend at right angles to the aXis X, X, so that there is practically no friction and no wear and tear either on. the hub or on the hammer shaft and little frictional retardation on that account.

A portion of the end surface of the hub is slightly cut away in wedge form as at 9 permitting the hammer arm to be forced back far enough for the hammer head 4 to clear the edge of the gong after striking it. The wedge cut gradually reduces, bringing the arm again on the track formed by the hub and the spring 10- is shaped so as to engage the rectangular projection 5 on the rear end of the hammer arm 5 just as the arm comes over the notch 9 so as to resili ently force the hammer arm into the position shown dotted in Fig. 3. The inolined face of the hammer causes it to glance off upon striking the gong and, force the arm into the notch 9. The spring 10 at the I same time takes up and continues this action until the head has passed under the gong edge. The end of the spring 10 may be held by a guard 11 if desired. Although the device. will work well withoutthe spring 10, I

consider it more efficient to include the same. The act of forcing the hammer arm into the notch is assisted by slightly inclining the striking surface to the plane of the gong edge.

Whenever the hammer is released, the

driving mechanism (not, shown) rotates: the

hammer and centrifugal force maintains it in a position rectangularly to the shaft 6 as the hammer rotates. The principal function of the track is to maintain the hammer member, at rest, in the position in which it is held by centrifugal force. As soon as the hammer begins to move the dependent lug on the rearward end of the hammer handle is disengaged from the spring 10 and the spring is not again engaged until the hammer has nearly completed a rotation and is again about to strike the gong. The lug on the rearward end of the hammer handle being a lower elevation than the forward end of the hammer handle is thus the only part which engages the spring 10. It will thus be seen that the hammer is subjected to a minimum amount of frictional retardation and there is but very little drag on the hammer at the time of starting the striking blow. g

It will be understood that any suitable form of winding and driving mechanism may be employed for instance, as shown in either of my prior patents above referred to.

What I claim is 1. In combination, a gong, a power shaft, a hammer arm carried by said shaft and having a movement about an axis transverse of the power shaft, a hammer on one end of said arm for engagement with the gong, a hub around the shaft having an end wall disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the path of movement of the outstanding hammer arm, said end wall having a depression therein positioned to receive the hammer arm near the position of the impact of the hammer with the gong and a relatively stationary spring disposed to momentarily engage and force the hammer arm into said depression.

2. In combination, agong, a power shaft, an arm pivoted transversely to said shaft, a hammer on one end of said arm, a hub surrounding the shaft having an end wall adapted to form a trackway disposed substantially in the plane of and serving to I guide both ends of the arm and provided with a depression therein positioned to receive the hammer end of the arm near the position of impact of the hammer with the gong, and a spring disposed substantially opposite the depression in the trackway ar ranged to be engaged by the other end of the hammer arm to thereby force the hammer end of said arm down into the depression after impact.

3. In combination, a gong, a power shaft, a hammer carrying arm pivoted to said shaft, an upstanding bowed spring arranged to be engaged by the hammer arm during a part of the rotary movement of the shaft, and a guard limiting the action of said spring in one direction.

4. In a gong striking mechanism, the combination of a gong, a shaft, an arm carrying a hammer pivotedto said shaft so as to swing outwardly substantially at right angles to the shaft during rotation of the shaft, a hub surrounding the shaft, having its end wall disposed substantially at right angles to the shaft to form a guiding trackway for the hammer arm and provided with a depression ther in to allow the'hammer arm to drop and pass underthe edge of the gong, and a spring relatively stationary with respect to the rotating hammer arm arranged to be engaged by the hammer arm at the time of the registry of the said arm with the depression in the trackway where by to force the hammer arm down into said depression.

5. In combination, a gong, an inclined power shaft, a hanmier-carrying arm pivoted to said shaft so as to swing outwardly substantially at right angles thereto into engagement with the edge of the gong, and

a spring normally free of the hammer arm,

disposed to be engaged by the hammer arm substantially atthe position of impact of the hammer with the gong to thereby de press the hammer below the edge of the gong.

6. In a gong striking mechanism, a shaft inclined relative to the plane of the edge of the gong, ahammerpivotally carried by said shaft, a hub having its outer end in a plane at substantially right angles to said shaft and provided with anotch to receive the hammer arm and a relatively stationary spring having an inclined part projecting into the plane of movement of the hammer arm and arranged to engage said hammer arm to force it into said notch.

'7. In combination, a gong, a power shaft, an outstanding arm carried by said power shaft and mounted to have a movement about an axis transverse to said shaft, a hammer carried by said arm for engagement with the gong and a relatively stationary spring normally free of the hammer arm and disposed in position to be engaged by the hammer arm substantially at the position of impact of the hammer with the gong to thereby depress the hammer below the edge of the gong.

8. In combination, a gong, a shaft, ahammer arm pivoted transversely on said shaft, a hammer on one end of said arm, a spring for engagement with the rearwardly extending portion of the hammer arm, and said rearwardly extending portion of the hammer arm being at a lower elevation than the forward end of'the hammer arm, whereby to engage the spring in the rotation of the hammer.

9. In combination a gong, a shaft inclined to the plane of the gong, a hub about said shaft having an outer end surface substantially at right angles to the shaft and provided with a depression therein, a. hammer carried by said shaft provided with a handle pivoted transversely on the shaft and extending rearwardly across the trackway, a lug on said rearward extended end of the hammer handle projecting inwardly face disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of the shaft and provided with a depression therein, a hammer handle pivoted intermediate its ends on a transverse axis on said shaft and extending across the trackway provided by the end of the hub, a hammer on one end of said handle for engagement with the gong, a spring for engagement with the opposite end of the handle located at a point substantially opposite the depression in the trackway and means for limiting the movement of said spring.

11. In combination a gong, a power shaft inclined to the plane of said gong, a hub about said shaft having an outer end surface disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of the shaft and provided with a depression therein, a hammerhandlepivoted intermediate its ends on a' transverse axis on said shaft and extending across the rackway provided by the end of the hub, a hammer on one end of said handle for engagement with the gong and a spring having an inclined cam-like portion substantially opposite the depression in the trackway for engaging the opposite end of the handle arm.

12. In combination, a gong, a shaft inclined t0 the plane of said gong, a hammer carried by said shaft and pivoted to swing on an axis substantially transverse of the axis of the shaft, said gong being disposed in the path of said hammer when said hammer is swung outwardly by centrifugal force, a spring normally free of the hammer disposed in position to be engaged by said r0- tating hammer and tending to force the hammer out of the path of interference with the gong and means for limiting the swing of the hammer on its transverse axis.

13. In combination, a gong, a shaft inclined to the plane of said gong, a hub about said shaft having an outer end surface substantially at right angles to the shaft and provided with a depression therein, a hammer carried by said shaft and provided with a handle extending rearwardly across the traekway provided by the outer end surface of the hub, a spring for engagement with said rearwardly extending portion of the hammer handle located substantially opposite the depression in the trackway to thereby force the forward end of the hammer handle into said depression, said rearwardly extending end of the hammer handle being at a lower elevation than the forward end of the hammer handle whereby in the rotation of the hammer said rearward end of the handle will engage the spring while the forward end of the hammer handle will move clear of the spring.

HENRY E. REEVE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner e1. Patents,

" Washington, D. 0. 

